"But why do you have to go?" Puck whined.

Sylvie sighed and she leaned her head back against the wall outside the room Kit and his family were in. Her eyes and her throat felt like they were burning and she tried to clear her throat to relieve the discomfort. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run far away, out of District Twelve and beyond. But she couldn't.

"It's going to be okay," Kit's father murmured through the wall.

"Don't cry, Puck," Kit whispered, and Sylvie imagined him holding his shoulders, giving him that loving look that Kit only had when he spoke to his little brother. "I'm going to try really hard, okay? I have at least half a chance, don't I?"

This all felt like a terrible dream. The sound of Puck sniffling and Kit comforting him made the burning in her throat intensify, and she bit down on her lip hard. The pain succeeded in temporarily distracting her from the burning and she concentrated on the wall opposite her. On the other side of the closed door was where Lux Haze waited for her family. She hadn't seen anyone go in there, and there was no sound coming from the room. The thought of the young girl not having anyone to tell her they loved her, or at least embrace her for what could possibly be the last time, saddened her. But there was nothing Sylvie could do to fix it or change it. She was powerless just like everyone else.

The door to Kit's room opened and she stood up straight, watching as Mr. Lustrell led Puck out, who was trying his very hardest not to cry. She caught his eye as they passed her, and she started to reach out to ruffle his dirty blond hair. He shrunk away from her and lowered his eyes to the floor, and she swallowed as she watched the two disappear down the hall. It was time for her to say her goodbyes now. Her heart hammered in her chest and her mouth felt dry as a bone as she approached the door. She turned the knob and pushed it open, finding Kit standing against the far wall, running his hand against one of the velvet curtains.

He turned his head to look at her, and one corner of his mouth tugged up in a smile. "Come to say 'I told you so?'"

Sylvie opened her mouth to retort, but instead, a choked sob exploded from her throat. Her knees trembled as she held onto the doorknob and the doorframe, staring at her best friend with tears streaming down her face. The look of astonishment on Kit's face made her want to laugh, but that was quite impossible as of right now. She was very like her mother in which she rarely cried. The only time she could recall ever crying in front of Kit was when she had fallen through the roof of an old shelter in the meadow and broken her arm. He had carried her all the way back to her mother and even held her hand while they reset the bone.

His arms were stronger now than they had been a couple years ago; she noticed this as he hugged her close. Her arms were wound around his waist and squeezing his body tightly, and her head was tucked up under his chin. "Why?" she whispered, although she knew there was no reason for it to happen. His name was drawn, and no one volunteered, the end. She coughed out another small cry, gripping the back of his shirt in her hands. She slowly released him and wiped her eyes when he stood back, his lips set in a line. "Are you okay?"

He laughed quietly, but the expression on his face contradicted it. "I'm fine, Sylvie. I need you to do something for me, okay?"

"Anything," she breathed, her brown eyes wide.

"I need you to watch after Puck. Dad can't—the mines-" He broke off, running a hand through his tangled hair. "I told him not to take any tesserae, that you would bring him food and watch after him."

She swallowed, seeing the look on Puck's face in the hallway, and how he had shrunken away from her touch.

"Don't take him into the woods. He's still too young, and I don't want anything to happen to him," Kit continued, a dazed look in his eye. He blinked and looked at her, his eyes softening. "I want you to be careful too. I know you always are, but…you're the only one I can trust with Puck. And if I don't come back-"

"Don't say that," Sylvie whimpered, half-pleading. "You have to come back, Kit."

"I'm going to try," he said in a tone that sounded more like him speaking to his brother than her. He reached out and put his hand to her cheek, gently wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "I'll do whatever it takes to come back to you."

Her heart fluttered in her chest and she blinked, hoping that she didn't just imagine him saying that. She stared up at him for a few quiet seconds before closing her eyes and nestling her face against his warm palm. "I'll take care of Puck," she whispered before Kit wrapped his arms around her again. His fingers petted her dark hair and she closed her eyes once more, breathing in the familiar scent of his soap. "Did they give you anything for a token?"

"No," He murmured, releasing her and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "No one really thinks to bring one, when you think about it. 'I wasn't expecting you to get reaped, so here, have my shoelace, and may the odds be ever in your favor.'"

Sylvie rolled her eyes and she sighed. She started to reach back for her ribbon, her hands trembling slightly. "I want you to take this."

"Is it a kiss?"

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she shook her head, showing him the ribbon. Did he even realize what he had just said? Probably not. Just another joke. "Take it."

Kit's eyes widened and he looked at the band and then her face. "Sylvie, I can't. It's yours."

"That's right it's mine. So you'd better think about winning so you can bring it back to me," she said with a raised eyebrow. "And if you don't, you'll face something even worse than death. Me."

He smiled and took the ribbon from her hand, closing his palm around it and holding it tightly. "Okay," he whispered, nodding. "I promise." He slipped it into his pocket and looked down at her, a strange sort of smile on his face. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds.

The door opened and Sylvie looked over her shoulder at the Peacekeeper standing there. "Time to go."

She was crushed against Kit's chest once more before he let go and she was led from the room. "You can win, Kit!" she cried, catching one final glimpse of him before the door closed.

Kit swallowed as he stared at the closed door, the ensuing silence ringing in his ears. He slowly walked over to the door and turned the handle, hesitating before pulling it open a crack. He gasped quietly as he looked across the hall and found Lux peeking outside of the door. His face burned when their blue eyes locked and he quickly shut the door and leaned his back against it. What was he going to do? He closed his eyes and immediately he could see his little brother struggling to hold back his tears. He hadn't been too successful at doing so, letting a couple tears trickle down his cheeks. And then Sylvie, who had outright sobbed in front of him. It nearly broke his heart to see her like that.

He heard footsteps outside the door and he swallowed, opening his eyes. He was leaving his home, and there was a very high chance that he wouldn't come back.

"It's time to go," there was a knock at the door.

Kit ran his thumb against the silky material of Sylvie's ribbon and he tucked it into his pocket. He would go. He would not cry.

His partner was silent as a ghost as they followed Effie out of the building. Her eyes seemed dry, but there was a faint mark on her cheek that looked suspiciously like a handprint, and that cheek was slightly puffy.

"You two are going to love the Capitol!" Effie squealed. She tottered by on her plum-colored high heels as they went to the car that would take them to the train station. She sat in the middle, flanked on either side by her new tributes. Kit noticed a gold pin above Lux's right breast and he stared at it, trying to figure out what it was.

"It's a mockingjay," she whispered, startling him. Effie had stopped talking for about ten seconds as she powdered her face, and Lux was giving Kit a faint smile. She had pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail and she looked even more like a doll with her hair out of her face. "My dad gave it to me. It was supposed to be my birthday present, but…that might never come now." She uttered a soft little laugh and then sat back, watching District Twelve go by from the car window.

Kit was mesmerized by the quiet girl whom he had grown up with, but barely given any thought to. She was in the same class as him and Sylvie, but he couldn't recall her ever speaking to him. All he knew was that she was the baker's daughter and her two older sisters were popular loudmouths in comparison. She was smart, too; she always did well in her classes. But he couldn't recall much more about the mysterious Lux Haze.

"Here we are! Come on, we have a schedule to stick to!" Effie said cheerfully, with just a hint of urgency. She let Kit get out first and was followed by Lux. Cameras were everywhere as they got onto the platform and walked down to one of the train cars. "This will be your home for the next day or so. If you think this is nice, just wait till you get to the Capitol!"

Kit smiled and shook his head. If Effie weren't an escort, she would be a wonderful travel agent. Or a salesperson. Hell, he would buy whatever she was selling just to get her to be quiet. He motioned for Lux to go inside first and followed her in. The doors sealed shut and the smell of coal dust was immediately gone from the air. Here they were, on their way to an entirely different world, and all Kit had with him were strangers.

"And here they are. Our new tributes," a somewhat familiar voice said from the car. Kit recognized the scruffy blond man with his bare feet on the table as Haymitch Abernathy, District Twelve's one and only victor, living or otherwise. He was a notorious drunk, and just one look at Lux told him that she was uncomfortable around him. Kit felt an odd sense of protectiveness and he stood right by the blonde girl, swallowing.

"Haymitch, this is Kit Lustrell and Lux Haze. Look at them! Aren't they lovely? We won't have any trouble getting sponsors with these two, will we?" Effie beamed, her hands on the couple's shoulders.

Haymitch snorted and knocked over an empty glass with his foot. "That depends on if they've got more than looks going for them." He looked at the two of them, his brow furrowed. "She looks like a wallflower. He has potential, but probably nothing compared to the Career boys."

Kit was more than slightly offended, but he didn't feel like bringing up his hunting experience for fear of sounding like a braggart. "That's what you're here for, right? To make us better?"

Haymitch smirked, nodded, and poured himself another glass of copper-colored liquid. Kit could practically smell the alcohol on his breath from a couple yards away. "Yeah, yeah. That's right. So tell me what I'm gonna be working with."


AN (Rachel): Hi everyone! I can't apologize enough for the wait you had to endure for this next chapter. School, work, and family issues all got in the way and I was just stuck in a rut, creativity-wise. Luckily, Kelsey is the most patient and understanding person ever, so I finally got the chance to sit down and add to the chapter she so wonderfully started. I hope that you're still excited to see what our trio of Kit, Sylvie, and Lux go through next, because we have some HUGE exciting and heartbreaking things in store. In fact, we have two sequels already planned, so don't worry about us running out of ideas! There's a lot of great stuff going back and forth between us and we are both so excited to bring it to you. Now that summer break is here, you can expect a lot more updates and for them to be much closer to one another. Thank you for reading, and be sure to recommend us to your friends!